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Preschoolers search longer when there is more information to be gained
Title / Series / Name
Publication Volume
Publication Issue
Pages
Editors
Keywords
active learning
developmental psychology
hypothesis testing
information gain
Developmental and Educational Psychology
Cognitive Neuroscience
developmental psychology
hypothesis testing
information gain
Developmental and Educational Psychology
Cognitive Neuroscience
URI
https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.14018/26721
Abstract
What drives children to explore and learn when external rewards are uncertain or absent? Across three studies, we tested whether information gain itself acts as an internal reward and suffices to motivate children's actions. We measured 24–56-month-olds' persistence in a game where they had to search for an object (animal or toy), which they never find, hidden behind a series of doors, manipulating the degree of uncertainty about which specific object was hidden. We found that children were more persistent in their search when there was higher uncertainty, and therefore, more information to be gained with each action, highlighting the importance of research on artificial intelligence to invest in curiosity-driven algorithms. Research Highlights: Across three studies, we tested whether information gain itself acts as an internal reward and suffices to motivate preschoolers' actions. We measured preschoolers' persistence when searching for an object behind a series of doors, manipulating the uncertainty about which specific object was hidden. We found that preschoolers were more persistent when there was higher uncertainty, and therefore, more information to be gained with each action. Our results highlight the importance of research on artificial intelligence to invest in curiosity-driven algorithms.
Topic
Publisher
Place of Publication
Type
Journal article
Date
2024-01
Language
ISBN
Identifiers
10.1111/desc.13411